The Secret Library: A Tale of Two Kingdoms
by pinkrose064
Summary: When her amulet summons her to the Secret Library, Sofia is rather startled when she is given a story to finish, and then whisked away before she can read it! On the Island of Pirates and Fairies (Never Land), she meets Peter Pan, the Lost boys, and their friends from another world, Jane, Mary, and Danny. But what connection do they have to the unfinished story and her amulet?
1. Prologue

Princess Sofia of Enchancia hurried into the Secret Library, her amulet glowing a bright blue, the way that it always did when there was a story in the library that needed her help to have a happy ending. The young girl sat down on the bench inside of the library, watching as the shelves lit up before a single book pulled itself out and floated down in front of her.

"'A Tale of Two Kingdoms'?" Sofia said in confusion, reading the title aloud. The titles were usually a bit more specific than that. Then again, after learning that she herself had a book within this great library, she thought that nothing in this place would surprise her anymore.

And yet, it did.

Sofia expected the book to float up into the large keyhole in front of her in order to tell her all that had happened thus far, but instead, it randomly shoved itself into her chest, forcing her to clutch it as she braved against the impact. It was then that Sofia noticed that her amulet was glowing once more, but it wasn't blue this time. It was its usual pink. She stood up from the bench, cradling the book in one arm while using her other hand to examine the amulet. A flash of light blinded her briefly, and then she realized that she was no longer in the library, or even Enchancia as far as she could tell. It seemed she had appeared in a tropical jungle somewhere. Sofia looked at her amulet again and saw the glow fade away.

What exactly was going on? Where was she? The Amulet usually only did this when there was a princess in need of her help, but... was this somehow connected to the book that the Library had given her just before she was whisked away? Frowning in contemplation, the young princess walked forward in search of answers...


	2. Chapter 1

"When a baby laughs for the first time, a fairy is born."

Mary Doe sighed as she set the book down in her lap and glanced out the window of the train car she was sitting in, contemplating whether such a thing could really be true, before looking back at the book in her lap, "The fairies live in Pixie Hollow, which can by found by traveling past the second star to the right." She scrunched up her nose slightly, "What on earth does that mean...?" She looked up again as the cabin door slid open and two children walked in, a girl about her own age with short brown hair and blue eyes, carrying a tiny boy with blond hair and green eyes, whom she presumed to be the girl's brother.

"But what about Mummy?" The boy asked as his sister shut the door behind them, "And Daddy just got back..."

"I know, but it's because Daddy came home that Mum is going to be just fine." The girl reassured her brother, "And you and I will have our own adventures in the countryside while we wait for the war to end."

"And you'll tell me stories about Peter Pan?" The boy asked eagerly.

"Of course, Danny." The girl replied while rubbing her nose against her brother's, "I promise, I will tell you every day." She set her brother down and suddenly appeared to notice that they were being watched, so she turned to Mary, offering her the brightest smile the girl had ever seen, especially given the war that England was currently engulfed in. "Oh hello! You must be our cabin mate! I'm Jane." She offered while holding her hand out.

"M-Mary..." The other girl replied, taking Jane's hand and shaking it timidly.

Jane smoothed her skirt and sat down next to her brother before noticing the book in Mary's lap. "May I ask what you are reading?"

Mary turned the book up so that Jane could see the cover, "'A Scientific Journal on Fairies' by Elizabeth Griffiths." She replied, "Somebody gave it to me just before I boarded the train. They said I looked like I could use a little magic in my life."

"Oh?" Jane said, her eyes shining with interest, "May I take a look?"

"S-Sure..." Mary replied before turning the book around and holding it out to Jane. Jane took the book and scanned the first page of it.

"It's all true, you know." She remarked while continuing to read, "I'm sure most people believe that it's all poppycock and that's why this is labeled as a children's book, but in fact, it's quite true."

"How do you know?" Mary asked while tilting her head.

"Because I've been there. Not to Pixie Hollow itself, but to the Land beyond the second star to the right." Jane explained, "Just last night actually." She turned turned a page and her eyes lit up in recognition, "Why! It's Tinker Bell!"

"Really?" Danny asked, peering over his sister's arm to look at the book.

"I beg your pardon?" Mary asked in confusion.

Jane turned the book to face Mary and pointed to a drawing of a fairy in a green dress, "This is Tinker Bell! A fairy I met in Never Land last night! I'd recognize her anywhere!"

"Really?" Mary replied, suddenly moving across the aisle and sitting next to Jane when she and Danny made room so they could all look at the book together.

"Yes! She is the best friend of... Of Peter Pan!" She exclaimed as she suddenly held up a little handmade doll.

"Who?" Mary asked in confusion.

The train ride passed quickly as Jane excitedly explained who Peter Pan was and how she and her brother knew him, or knew of him, in Danny's case. When the train slowed to a stop and Mary heard the conductor announcing the name of the station, she sighed and stood up. "This is my stop..." She said sadly, but Jane smiled brightly.

"What do you know? It's ours too!" She said as she stood up with Danny, "Perhaps if the places we are staying aren't too far away, we can play together while we're here!"

Mary's eyes widened, but then she enthusiastically nodded in agreement, "Sure!"

The three children exited the station and looked around, unsure what exactly to do with themselves when a woman walked up to them with a kind smile, "Would the three of you happen to be Mary, Jane, and Danny?"

"Yes, that's us." Jane said with a polite nod, and the woman smiled kindly.

"I'm so pleased to meet the three of you. I am Elizabeth Griffiths." The woman explained. The eyes of all three children widened into saucers.

"The Elizabeth Griffiths? The one who wrote this book?" Mary asked while holding up the book that had led to her friendship with the other two children.

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly before she nodded, "Yes, that's right. My goodness, I didn't expect any of you to have read the only journal I ever published."

"The only one?" Jane repeated in confusion as she tilted her head.

"I'll tell you about it when we arrive at the house. Come along children." Elizabeth said as she headed toward the exit of the station, "Oh, and while you're here, don't bother with formalities. You can just call me Lizzy." She brought them to a car where an elderly man was waiting, "Here we are, Father." Lizzy said to the man, "This is Jane, her brother Danny, and Mary. This is my father, Professor Griffiths."

The man tipped his hat at the three youngsters, "A pleasure to meet you children."

Lizzy smiled at her father, "They've read my journal, Father."

The professor's eyes glittered with intrigue as he looked at the three, "Have you now? Do you believe in my daughter's findings?"

"Every word, sir." Jane answered truthfully.

"Good." He told her, "It's always good to believe. People have to have something to believe in, in this world. Especially children."

When the three children's belongings had been loaded up, Professor Griffiths began driving them toward his and Lizzy's home.

"The house where we'll be staying is where I made that journal when I was about the same age as you girls." Lizzy explained, "We're usually only there during the summer, but with the evacuation order, I felt we should open it up to some children who needed to get away from London, and from the war."

"Why is this the only journal you've ever written?" Mary asked curiously.

"You've met Tinker Bell, haven't you?" Jane asked, temporarily forgetting her manners, "You're drawing of her is spot-on."

"You've met Tinker Bell?" Lizzy asked in surprise before answering, "She actually laid down for that drawing so that I could trace her. As for why it's the only one... I met Tinker Bell when I was nine, after she accidentally got trapped in a fairy house I had made. It was raining, so she couldn't return to her friends, so she helped me to make that journal instead. But of course, the scientific community would never accept that my research was real, so I had it published as a children's book. The reason why it's the only journal I've ever published is because the scientific community was unwilling to accept any of my more, ahem, believable research, insisting that anyone who could write such fanciful 'nonsense' wasn't capable of being a real scientist. And I've never married because I have yet to meet a man who is willing to at least accept that I believe in fairies. So it is still just my father and I."

"Um... why did you decide to take me in along with Jane and Danny?" Mary asked, "I'm just... a random child from an orphanage in London..."

"Well, we have enough room for three children, and orphans need a place to go too, so I said our home was also open to an orphan in need of evacuation." Lizzy replied.

"By the way, Mary, why do you cover your hair like that?" Jane asked, taking note of the kerchief that the other girl was using to completely conceal her hair.

"...I'll show you when we reach the house if you promise not to make fun..." Mary said reluctantly.

"We would never, would we Danny?"

"Unh-unh. Never."

Sometime later, Jane and Danny sat on Jane's bed in hers and Mary's room as Mary stood before them. "You promise not to laugh?" She asked again. When both children nodded, Mary reached up carefully and removed the kerchief and then untied her hair, causing long, curly hair that was a deep shade of blue to fall around her shoulders.

Jane's eyes widened in surprise, but Danny tilted his head in confusion and innocently asked, "How come your hair is blue?"

"Danny!" Jane scolded.

"No, it's all right." Mary told her, "It's a natural question." She walked over to the window, "The truth is that my hair has always been this way, ever since I was a baby."

"Then why are you embarrassed by it?" Jane asked, "It's not as if you did something foolish to make it look that way. It's simply a part of you. A part that is unique."

"Not everyone likes unique things." Mary explained, "The other girls at the home make fun of it. Even the nuns there prefer that I keep it covered."

"That doesn't seem fair." Jane said as she stood up and walked over to Mary, "I think your hair is lovely."

"I agree." Lizzy said as she entered the room, "Don't be ashamed of the things that make you unique Mary, because those are the things that will lead to your destiny." Mary nodded and Lizzy smiled at the three children, "Supper is almost ready, but before I forget, tomorrow is the first day of summer. You three have read my journal, so you know what that means. If you watch the windows carefully tonight, you might be able to see them."

"Will Tinker Bell come?!" Danny asked excitedly.

"I don't think so." Lizzy admitted with a wistful smile, "Tinker Bell doesn't usually come to the mainland during the changing of the seasons."

That night, Danny had insisted upon sleeping in Jane and Mary's room so he could watch the windows with them, but all three children had fallen asleep. As a result, they were initially unaware when a tiny creature flew through the open window. Tinker Bell placed a shell-shaped necklace on the vanity in the room and turned to leave, but her foot got caught in the chain, causing her to trip and fall and knock over a small bottle. The clattering awoke Mary, who sat up and noticed something happening on the vanity. She walked over and found Tinker Bell struggling to free her foot from the chain.

"Oh my!" She gasped, causing Tinker Bell to look up at her. She smiled gently and reached down, taking hold of the chain carefully, "Here, I'll hold it steady so you have better leverage. Jane! Danny! Wake up!" She whispered as loudly as she dared while Tinker Bell began working to free herself with Mary's help. Jane and Danny sat up and rubbed their eyes.

"What is it?" Jane asked.

At that moment, Tinker Bell managed to free her foot, but went flying back in the process. Mary reached out her hand and carefully caught the pixie with her palm. "Are you all right?" She asked, "You're Tinker Bell, right?" Tinker Bell looked surprised, but nodded.

"Tinker Bell?!" Both Jane and Danny cried, quickly rushing over. Tinker Bell looked up at them, then looked utterly confused at seeing Jane is such a completely different place. Jane smiled wryly.

"It's a long story." She explained.

"If Tinker Bell is here, is Peter Pan here too?" Danny asked, going to the window, but Tinker Bell shook her head in reply.

"Oh? Why are you here without Peter, Tinker Bell? He's not in trouble, is he?" Jane asked. Tinker Bell shook her head, then picked up the necklace and flew up to Mary with it.

"Huh? Is this for me?" Mary asked, and Tinker Bell nodded. "But why?" Mary asked as she took the necklace in her hand. Tinker Bell looked around for a means of explanation and spotted Lizzy's journal. She flew over it, pulling the cover back with a tug and then flipping to the page she wanted before pointing at the text.

"Sometimes, broken Lost Things will wash ashore near Pixie Hollow. Tinker Bell repairs these Lost Things and then returns them to their owners during the changing of the seasons." Jane read aloud.

"Are you saying this is something I lost?" Mary asked, and Tinker Bell nodded in confirmation. Mary bit her lip, confused, and looked down at the necklace in her hand. Upon closer inspection, it was actually made of two sand dollars fastened together with a hinge and the delicate chain was strung with pearls.

"What is it?" Jane asked as she looked at it, "A kind of watch?" She added, noticing the nob at the top.

"I don't think so..." Mary said softly, pushing the button to open the shell. It was definitely not a watch. There was no clock face. In fact, there appeared to be nothing at all inside. Continuing to bite her lip, Mary turned her attention to the nob on the top. She turned it, or rather, wound it, when she realized it was a wind key, and a soft tune began to play.

"A lullaby?" Jane asked.

"The stars... the second star to the right" Mary said softly, turning to look out the window at the stars.

"Mary?" Danny asked in confusion. Jane looked equally confused.

Mary held the locket close, beginning to sing along to the tune of her locket, "The second star to the right shines in the night for you. To tell you that the dreams you plan really can come true. The second star to the right shines with a light that's rare, and if it's Never Land you need, its light will lead you there. Twinkle, twinkle little star, so I'll know where you are. Gleaming in the skies above, lead me to the land I dream of. And when our journey is through, each time we say 'good night', we'll thank that little star that shines. The second from the right." Mary closed her eyes as the locket stopped. "I have to go." She said decidedly, "To the land beyond the second star to the right."

Danny and Jane's eyes widened in shock while Tinker Bell let out a surprised jingle.

"Wh-why all of the sudden?" Jane asked as Mary walked over to the dresser and began pulling out a few items.

"I was left on the steps of the home when I was a baby." She explained to Jane, "Originally they just called me 'Jane Doe', which is what you call someone whose identity is unknown, but I kept pointing at myself and saying 'Mary', so they called me that instead, after the Virgin Mary. They thought it was best since some people believed me to be a witch's child. My hair aside, there have always been... things... about me that nobody could explain. Things that make no sense in this world. But maybe if I go to that one..."

"Can we go too, Jane?" Danny asked, tugging on Jane's arm excitedly, "I wanna see Never Land and meet Peter Pan!"

"Well, if Tinker Bell is willing, then I suppose we can." Jane said before smiling excitedly, "In fact, now that I think about it, time passes much more quickly in that world than in this one. I was there for two days but wasn't even gone a full night last night. We could stay there for a little while and have some fun!"

"But how would you know when to return?" Mary asked in confusion.

Jane looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes lit up, "I know! The changing of the seasons! When the pixies come back to bring autumn, Danny and I will return! The way things have been going, the war certainly won't be over before that! I'll leave a note for Lizzy to let her know where we are."

"If you insist, but do change clothes before we leave." Mary told her, "If you intend on staying a while, you can't very well spend the entire 'holiday' in your pajamas. Pack some extra clothes and other necessities while you're at it."

Jane nodded and quickly did as Mary had said. Tinker Bell stood in the windowsill, tapping her foot with impatience.

"Hurry you two!" Mary told them. "We can't make Tinker Bell keep the other fairies waiting."

Danny and Jane nodded and hurried over to Mary, dressed in their normal clothes and each carrying one bag apiece. Just as they all arrived at the window, five other fairies came and joined Tinker Bell.

"Who are they? Are they your friends, Tinker Bell?" Jane asked as she looked up from the note she was writing.

Tinker Bell nodded and Mary looked more closely at the group with interest. "I think I've seen fairies like this in the book." A fairy with long hair the same color as Mary's and a blue dress flew up from the windowsill and flew around Mary with apparent interest, and Mary smiled at her.

"We'll have to get Peter to tell us their names." Jane commented as she set a paperweight upon the note and picked up her bag, "Is that all you're bringing, Mary?" She asked in confusion, noticing the rather small bag that her friend was holding.

"Yes." Mary replied, "I don't own much, and I don't even like what I do have. But I must bring nightclothes with me at the very least. I'm hoping perhaps to find something new there."

Jane nodded in understanding and took Danny's hand. "All right Tinker Bell, we're ready to go!"

Tinker Bell nodded, gesturing to her friends before the group flew up and over the children, covering them in a golden shower of pixie dust.

"You have to think happy thoughts." Jane explained to Mary as she and Danny began to rise into the air.

"Think happy thoughts..." Mary said to herself. She clutched the pendant Tinker Bell had brought to her and closed her eyes, thinking of finding her real family, and began to rise into the air. With a grin, she followed her friends out the window.

* * *

So I changed this just a little to use a song from Peter Pan 2 instead of the old one that I will not name


	3. Chapter 2

"There it is, you two!" Jane declared as the island of Never Land came into sight.

"It's hard to believe that the portal to another world is so easily found within our own." Mary marveled.

"But you don't seem all that surprised that another world exists." Jane remarked.

"Before we left London, I was reading about the theory of an American scientist who has proposed that there could, in fact, be infinitely many worlds." Mary replied, "The Sisters told me that I shouldn't fill my head with such nonsense, but this man is quite renowned. I heard that he has even helped the Allies with research for the war. I don't know what kind though."

"Well enough about school stuff for now!" Jane exclaimed, "It's the holidays, and we're in Never Land! We can have fun all we want!"

"Yeah!" Danny exclaimed.

Mary looked up at the jingling sound near her head. "Oh, really Silver Mist?"

"Who?" Jane asked, so Mary gestured to the dark-haired fairy flying beside her.

"This is Silver Mist, a water fairy. And that's Rosetta, Fawn, Iridessa, and Vidia." Mary added while gesturing to each respective fairy. "Rosetta is a garden fairy, Fawn is an animal fairy, Iridessa is a light fairy, and Vidia is a fast-flying fairy."

"How did you figure all of that out?" Jane asked in confusion.

"They told me."

Jane screeched to a halt, Danny quickly copying her, "You can understand them!?""

"Of course." Mary said in confusion, "Can't you?"

Jane shook her head, "All I hear when they speak is something like jingling bells. In fact, among my friends in Never Land, Peter is the only one who can understand them at all. Although Captain Hook can too, for some reason."

Mary simply shrugged, "I told you that there were things about me that can't be explained in our own world. That's why I was eager to come here in search of answers. Perhaps only the people of this world can understand Tinker Bell and her friends."

"Maybe. I suppose that would make sense." Jane said thoughtfully.

"At any rate, let's go! Tinker Bell says she doesn't have to report like the others, so she'll take us straight to your friend Peter."

"All right!" Danny exclaimed, dashing off in the direction of Never Land.

"Oh! Danny! Wait for us!" Jane exclaimed as she hurried after her brother. Mary giggled and followed the two siblings. Tinkerbell led them to a dead tree, but rather than simply diving down it, Jane put out a hand to stop Danny, grinned mischievously at him and Mary, and then crowed like a rooster. Mary raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then to her surprise, a boy clad entirely in green shot out of the dead tree as various other boys tumbled out of the base of it. The boy looked around in something like irritated confusion before his eyes lit up upon noticing Jane.

"Jane!" The boy cried exuberantly.

"Peter!" Jane exclaimed while hugging the boy tightly.

"It's Peter Pan!" Danny said excitedly, causing Mary to giggle lightly.

"What are you doing back?" Peter asked. After how determined she'd been to go home the last time he saw her, Peter was beyond surprised that Jane had returned. "And who are they?"

"Oh, this is my brother Danny and our friend Mary." Jane answered as the group of them descended toward the motley crew of boys, "It's summer holidays back home, and we had to leave London because it was too dangerous, but Tinker Bell was delivering something to Mary that she had once lost during the changing of the seasons, so we decided to come and spend our summer here!"

"So does that mean you're going to be a Lost Girl again?" Cubby asked.

"At least until the fairies have to bring autumn to our world." Jane confirmed.

"And I'm going to be a Lost Boy!" Danny exclaimed excitedly.

Jane laughed, "Although come to think of it, you don't actually plan on going back to our world, do you Mary?"

"No, not really." Mary said with a shrug, "Even if I don't stay here in Never Land, per se, I still plan on remaining in this world at least."

"How come?" One of the twins asked.

"I came here because I think that I might find some answers about who I really am in this world." Mary explained, "I'm a Lost Girl in a far more literal sense."

"A what?" Nibs asked in confusion.

Mary laughed nervously, "Right. I'm guessing that education isn't considered all that important when you don't plan on ever growing up."

"What makes you think you're from this world?" Peter asked curiously.

Mary shrugged slightly, "I'm not sure, I just... well... I don't really fit in there. And I don't have any family, so even if I'm not, there's no harm in me staying here, right?"

"Yeah!" Slightly exclaimed, "That's what we all decided to do!"

Mary laughed nervously again, "I'm probably a lot more like all of you than other people from my world that you've encountered."

"What do you mean?" Peter asked.

"Well... Jane and Danny's mother and uncles came here and had fun with you once, right? But in the end, they decided to go back to their world and grow up. Jane and Danny are the same in that sense." At some point, Mary had stopped floating, and she turned and looked up at the sky above them, "But when you're like me... when you've had no family and you've experienced the worst that grown-ups can be... well... growing up comes to seem... less than ideal."

"Huh. I guess I never really thought about it before." Peter said with a shrug.

Mary closed her eyes in amusement, "Girls develop the ability to think about things in such a complex manner more quickly than boys. Or so I've been told."

"Girls are complicated all right." Peter said with a roll of his eyes, earning him a playful jab in the rib from Jane.

星

The group of children spent all day playing together on the island of Never Land before eventually settling down for the night in the dead tree that served as the Lost Boys' home. Somehow, Mary had wound up telling them all the tale of Robin Hood, which Peter's clothing reminded her of. Oddly enough, Jane was only vaguely familiar with the tale, having lost interest in fairy tales until recently, whereas Mary had craved such stories as something of a forbidden treasure within the orphanage.

It was late in the night, roughly a few hours before dawn, when Silver Mist flew into the tree and grabbed hold of the locks of Mary's hair that framed her face, tugging on them in order to rouse her. Mary muttered at first, then slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes glinted mischievously and she nodded at Silver Mist before silently slipping from her bed and exiting the tree. She allowed Silver Mist to cover her with pixie dust before the two of them took off flying, leaving the tree behind. Mary followed Silver Mist to a small lagoon, where she landed on one of the rocks and sat down.

"Are you ready?" Mary asked her friend. Silver Mist nodded enthusiastically and the girl smiled, "You might want to move back a bit Silver Mist. I don't want your wings to get wet by mistake, since you won't be able to fly if that happens. Though honestly, that's a bit strange in my opinion. I mean, you have _wings._ Why do you need the dust in the first place? Humans don't need both." Silver Mist giggled, agreeing to the irony of the matter before moving out of Mary's way.

Mary looked down at the water and concentrated, holding her hands out over it. She grinned as streams of water began to move beneath her palms before she held them up and allowed the little streams to move and dance in bursts that she directed with her fingers, allowing the water to shoot high over her head before gracefully arching back down and returning to the surface. Mary laughed exuberantly, unaware as several curious faces peeked out at her from the surface of the water nearby. "I forgot how fun this is!" She exclaimed as she manipulated the water to move in more complicated and beautiful patterns than before, "It's been so long! I was totally forbidden to do this at the orphanage!" She explained to Silver Mist as she continued, "Not that that stopped me per se, but I had to make sure that nobody was looking and keep things small enough that wouldn't be seen. Not easy when you share a bathroom with twenty other girls and I drew the line using water from the loo!" Silver Mist giggled again, even though she had no idea what a "loo" was. She noticed a nearby spider web and tapped on Mary's shoulder.

"Watch this." The fairy said as Mary allowed the water in the lagoon to settle. She cupped her hand to pick up a single drop of water. "We don't usually use sea water for this, but..." She carried the water up to the web and delicately spread it out as a string of dew drops.

"That's amazing. Let me try!" Mary exclaimed as she shifted in that direction.

"Oh! Um, are you sure?" Silver Mist said nervously, "Because Tinker Bell tried that once and... well... it didn't end well."

"I'm not even a fairy, let alone a Tinker Fairy." Mary pointed out, "But humans aren't supposed to be able to move water with their minds to begin with. Or talk to fairies for that matter."

"Well, true." Silver Mist conceded, "It's just... well... you're a lot bigger than me, so doing something this delicate might be a little hard for you."

"I see your point, but that's part of why I want to try." The girl replied, "After all, anything that new that I learn sharpens my skills. I'm sure I have these powers for a reason. Training to do difficult things might come in handy one day."

"Fair enough." Silver Mist agreed before moving to a spot where she wouldn't get soaked if this proved to be beyond Mary's skill level.

Mary narrowed her eyes in concentration, using only her index finger to guide a tiny stream of water toward the web.

"Oh, sweetie! That's probably too much!" Silver Mist warned, "Remember that by your standards, spider webs are pretty fragile!"

"I'm aware of that, but I can't pick up a single droplet like you, Silver Mist." Mary replied, "The water always stays connected to the source when I move it. Now hush, or you'll break my concentration at the most crucial part." Silver Mist said nothing else, acknowledging Mary's need for total silence. The young girl concentrated deeply, carefully moving the tiny stream of water so that it just brushed one of the threads of the web, leaving a string of droplets behind before she pulled it away, then sighed with exhaustion as she allowed it to collapse back into the lagoon, putting a hand on her head. "I did it." She said, seeming strangely winded, "But that is really hard. I don't think that's something I want to try very often."

"Maybe it's something that will get easier as you practice it?" Silver Mist suggested.

"Maybe, but I'm not convinced." Mary admitted, "There's probably an ideal amount of water that can be moved that is affected by one's size."

"At least you know you can do if you try though." Silver Mist remarked as she flew back over to her human friend, and Mary nodded in agreement.

"How _did_ you do that?" A young voice asked, and Mary looked over in surprise to see a young mermaid with long, jet black hair watching her nearby, along with a few other mermaids who appeared to be older.

"I've only seen a Water Fairy move water the way that you do." One of the other mermaids mused.

"Oh! Um... It's a power that I was born with. I'm not an ordinary human." Mary explained as she shifted herself on the rock again to face the mermaids.

"That's an understatement." Said a third mermaid, "Where are you from? I've never seen you in Never Land before, and we know who pretty much everyone on the island is. Except for maybe all of the individual fairies in Pixie Hollow."

"I'm... I'm from the world beyond the second star to the right." Mary replied uncertainly, "At least as far as I know."

"The second star to the right?" The second mermaid said, "I've heard that world is totally boring. No mermaids or flying horses or unicorns. They even only have fairies when the pixies from Pixie Hollow bring the seasons."

"Boring indeed." Mary agreed, "Nothing interesting at all there, except, from what I've heard, the occasional pirate ship showing up in the sky in the middle of the night." She added with amusement.

"I have heard that Captain Hook goes there sometimes." The younger mermaid acknowledged, "Though where he gets the pixie dust is questionable."

Mary laughed nervously, "There's nobody like me at all there. That's why I came here. I didn't fit in that world. I don't think that I belonged there."

"It would make more sense for you to be from this world." The third mermaid agreed, "Even though, I've still never heard of a human that can control water."

"Oh! But I've heard that Merroway Cove is sometimes visited by a human that can turn into a mermaid!" The second said enthusiastically.

Mary laughed quietly, thinking that this new world was full of mysterious things. The mermaid with the black hair swam closer to her, "I'm Marina, and these are two of my sisters." She explained. She appeared to be about the same age as Mary or maybe a little younger. It was hard to tell.

"I'm Mary. Or at least that's what people call me." The girl replied, tucking back one of her locks.

"Since we're here, Mary, do you wanna come swim with us?" The second of Marina's sisters, who seemed to be less of an airhead than the first, asked.

"I would love to, but unfortunately, I don't know how to swim." Mary admitted.

"What?!" The first sister exclaimed, "You can control water but you don't know how to swim?!"

"Sadly, I've never had the opportunity to learn." Mary replied with a shrug, "But to be fair, Water Fairies can't swim either."

"She's got a point." The second sister acknowledged, "But even so... I feel like you need some new clothes."

"Huh? New clothes?" Mary echoed in confusion.

This sister, who Mary was beginning to think was the eldest of them, pointed to the ill-fitting clothes that Mary was wearing. "Your clothes aren't water-proof. If they get wet while you're playing around with the water, they'll become heavy and uncomfortable."

"Oh, I guess that's true." Mary conceded as she looked at her own clothing, "Actually, I don't even like these clothes, but I don't have anything else."

"What?! Really?" The middle sister exclaimed.

"Hm..." The oldest said thoughtfully before turning to her sisters. "Marina, Aria, go back home and find something for her. I'll lead her to a cave where the water will be a suitable depth for both her and us."

"Okay!" The other two exclaimed before diving below the surface.

The oldest turned and looked back at Mary, "My name is Sandy. Follow me!"

* * *

Okay, so yeah, I know very little about Marina. She is a character from Jake and the Never Land Pirates, which means she's _technically_ a Peter Pan character, but I never watched that show, so if she's completely out of character, that would be why. Although it is an interesting note that I originally was going to make that Mary's name before I found out about Marina. Her sisters' names were made up on the spot. Basically, Aria is mermaid number 2 and Sandy is mermaid number 3. Leaving Marina aside, I imagine that the mermaids of Never Land would be more friendly toward Mary than they were to Wendy, because they feel an affinity with her because of her powers.


	4. Chapter 3

Mary made her way back to the dead tree where Peter and the boys lived. The sky was lightening, but she shook her head in amusement as she realized they were all still sound asleep. It wasn't surprising on Danny and Jane's part. They had gotten maybe five hours of sleep before coming to Neverland, and had been up until sometime after the sun had set. However, Mary got the feeling that Peter and the Lost Boys always slept in. Oh well. In a place where growing up was impossible, what did it matter?

Mary sat back down on her bed, carefully smoothing the skirt of the dress that the mermaids had given her. It was like a swimsuit with a transparent skirt that attached along the hemline of the holes for her legs and ruffles along that upper hem. The lower hem of the skirt was lined with pearls, as were the halter straps at the top of the dress, allowing it to match her necklace perfectly. The whole outfit was a sky blue. She thought it made for a nice contrast to her midnight blue hair. That too had been fixed up by the mermaids. It was nothing much, just a slightly more elegant hairstyle than simply wearing her hair down had been. She debated what to do about shoes. Going barefoot seemed oddly tempting, but even Peter and the boys didn't do that, which gave her the impression that it _might_ be a bad idea. Maybe Tinkerbell could help her when she woke up.

With a sigh of content—she had truly hated her old clothes, she planned on burning them—Mary lied back in her bed and fell asleep again.

星

"How long is she gonna sleep?" A boy's voice asked.

"Let's just wake her up!" Another said.

"No! Don't do it like that!" A girl's voice suddenly cried before Mary felt somebody shaking her shoulder gently. "Mary, wake up. It's already afternoon."

Mary yawned and stretched as she sat up, having be roused by Jane's gentle urging. Everyone else in the tree gasped.

"Mary! Where'd you get that new dress?!" Peter exclaimed in surprise.

"Hm? This?" Mary replied groggily as she stifled a yawn. "I came by it while I was out with Silvermist last night."

"Last night?" Peter replied in confusion, "Did you go out while we were sleeping?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Mary asked. She hadn't thought that the Lost Boys had any kind of rules.

"Well no, not really." Peter admitted, "But you should be careful going off on your own, especially at night, Mary. You're lucky you didn't run into Captain Hook."

"Who?" Mary asked in confusion.

"Didn't I tell you about him?" Jane asked, concerned that she had forgotten to mention something rather important. Mary looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Oh yes. The pirate captain from the stories you told me on the train, right? I understand your concern, but don't worry about it. I wasn't alone. I just said that I was with Silvermist. If that... what was it you called him before? A codfish? If he had come along, I would've just flown away." She assured them while walking over to the knothole where Tinkerbell's room was. "Tinkerbell, are you there by chance? I have a favor to ask of you." Tinkerbell pushed aside the leaf that served as a door and flew out, hovering in front of Mary and jingling softly. "You're a Tinker Faerie. I was hoping you could help me come by some new shoes. I rather hate my old ones, but you and your friends come by your own shoes somehow, right?" Tinkerbell nodded and then flew down to Mary's feet, circling around them while apparently taking various measurements in her own way. She then flew back up to Mary and nodded. "Oh thank you Tinkerbell!" Tinkerbell saluted playfully and then flew off to get to work, and Mary turned back to the others, "Right then. What's for breakfast?"

"Hm..." Peter said thoughtfully, "Why don't we catch some fish from the river and cook them over a fire?"

The boys all cheered in approval and Jane smirked as she leaned over to whisper to Mary, "Bet you theirs all end up burnt."

"Um, actually..." Mary began awkwardly, "I'm a vegetarian..." The Boys all turned and looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"A... what?" Cubby asked in confusion. Clearly none of them knew what the word meant.

"A vegetarian." Mary said again, "It means that I don't eat... well... animals. I only eat fruits and vegetables and things like that."

"Ew!" All seven boys declared at once.

"Why on earth would you do something like that?" Peter exclaimed in disgust.

"I... um... It's a personal thing, all right?" Mary said awkwardly.

"Are you sure you can be a Lost Girl?" Said Toodles, "Cause Lost Girls don't eat their veggies."

"Oh really?" Mary asked, seeming a bit offended, "Then tell, me what _do_ Lost Boys and Girls do?"

The others, including Jane, all looked at each other and grinned.

"We like to dream all day." Slightly sang.

"And then at night we play." Nibs added before the others joined in while dragging Mary outside.

"We swing on limbs of trees, til we wake up the bees." They weren't kidding. They disturbed a hive and an entire swarm came after them. "These are the things we Lost Boys do!"

"Sorry bees!" Mary called as she fled from the swarm with the others.

"We swing from rope to rope." The others continued.

"Sounds fun." Mary said with a smile.

"We have no use for soap." They added.

"Ew..." The dark-haired girl grimaced.

"With open mouths, we chomp" The Boys said.

"Well, no manners then." Mary muttered with a bemused smile to Jane.

"On mud pies from the swamp."

"Or common sense, apparently." She added.

"And then we top it off with pudding from a trough!" The Boys continued.

"They actually think they're pigs!" Mary exclaimed in disgust.

"These are the things we Lost Boys do!" Jane just shrugged with a "what can you do?" Expression and followed their friends.

"We're rolling in dirt!" The Boys sang, "We won't change our shirt!"

"You most certainly will, Danny." Jane said firmly.

"We're marching around to see what makes a sound!" They continued.

"That part actually sounds like fun!" Mary exclaimed as she followed after them.

"Dare you to throw that rock!" Peter exclaimed as Jane picked up a rock from beside the river.

"Come, get a triple skip!" Jane encouraged, gently tossing the rock to Mary. She attempted to skip the rock as Jane suggested, but it only plopped in the water, causing her to pout in frustration, although Peter was quickly distracted by something else.

"Dare you to explore that cave!" He shouted.

"Let's have an overnight trip!" Jane encouraged as she took Mary by the hand and led her into the cave with Peter and the others.

"And if you're feeling scared..." Peter continued.

"You'll have your friends right there!" Jane added.

"These are the things that Lost Boys..." Peter began.

"These are the things that Lost Girls...!" Jane added.

"These are the things we love to do...!" The entire group finished as they came out of the cave.

Mary laughed happily. "So this is what boys are like?" She asked with an amused shake of her head.

"You didn't know?" Peter asked in confusion, and Mary shook her head.

"The orphanage where I lived in London was only for girls." She explained, "I've never really been around boys before."

"Well now you have us!" The twins exclaimed.

Mary laughed lightly, "Yes, well, be that as it may, I'm afraid that girls are a little different than boys. Mostly in the hygiene area, apparently. At any rate, I still won't be eating fish, so I think I'll go and see what the mermaids have to offer."

"That might not be a good idea." Jane warned, "The mermaids here aren't always the nicest people."

"What are you talking about?" Mary asked, turning to look at Jane, "They're the ones who gave me this dress. At any rate, if you guys need me, I'm heading to the lagoon where I met them with Silvermist last night." As if on cue, the aforementioned pixie flew up to Mary and covered her in dust. "I'll see you soon!" Mary called as she waved to her friends.

"Mary seems kinda picky..." Peter muttered.

"Oh Peter. I don't think she means to be." Jane assured him, "But I get the feeling that she's never really been allowed to have fun before, so she doesn't know how."星

Sometime later, Mary sat perched on the rock again, happily eating something that Marina had brought for her from the nearby mermaid city. "This seaweed casserole is _so_ good, Marina!" The young girl exclaimed, "There's something... nostalgic about it. It's as if I've had it before or something."

"Do humans normally eat seaweed?" Marina asked curiously, and Mary rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Humans _normally_ can't control water, so why are you asking me?"

"I guess that's a good point." Marina grinned.

"All the same..." Mary began as she set down the empty dish, "I'm afraid I must admit that I don't know. I've heard that people in other countries in that world eat many things that people in Britain never would, so I can't say for sure if there isn't somewhere that people eat it regularly. I don't really know much about that world beyond the city where I lived. It would've been interesting to learn, but now that I'm here, I've no intention of going back."

"Why not?" Marina asked.

Mary moved so that her feet were dangling in the water below her, kicking lightly as she explained, "I don't like that world. Not at all. London is so... dirty and noisy and chaotic. The air is so awful that you can hardly breathe. It's much nicer here, where the air is fresh and clean and the sun shines so brightly! I don't think I've ever seen anything quite as beautiful as the sun shining upon this sea..."

"Oh... so you like the sea too, my dear?" A voice said, and suddenly a rowboat appeared from around the corner with a man dressed in a red captain's coat and hat standing in the bow. Marina gasped and dove beneath the waves to hide.

"You're... you're Captain Hook!" Mary exclaimed nervously as she stood to her feet upon the rock, and the man grinned sinisterly.

"Why, I'm flattered that you know my name." He remarked. Suddenly, the small man beside him scooped a bucket of water from the sea and threw it at Mary.

"Oh, Silvermist!" Mary exclaimed in concern, quickly reaching forward and catching the pixie with her hands when Silvermist began to plummet from having been soaked by the water. "Oh no! Your wings!"

"That's right, my dear." Hook began as Mary looked at him wearily while setting Silvermist down gently, "So now there will be no using pixie dust to fly away." Before Mary could reply, or even make a move to defend herself, the pirate captain reached forward and grabbed the young girl's forearm, jerking her forward, off the rock and into the boat.

"Hey! Let me go!" Mary cried, focusing her mind on the water below them to ensure the boat didn't capsize, because that would not be advantageous since she didn't know how to swim. Hook pushed her so that she fell back in the boat and then a rag was tied over her mouth by the oar-man.

"Now please miss, just hold still." The man said placatingly as he began to tie Mary's hands behind her back. Mary glared at him over her shoulder. This must be Smee, Captain Hook's oddly gentle, yet loyal first mate.

Hook chuckled fiendishly, "When Peter and that girl Jane learn that I have their friend, I'll be able to get my revenge on both of them." He looked over at Silvermist, who was watching helplessly from upon the rock, "Now little fairy, when your wings dry, fly off and tell Peter Pan that if he wants his new friend back, then he and Jane must come to my ship, _alone."_

* * *

There may be a point where I forgot to mention this, but this story is actually more of a Peter Pan/Sofia the First/Disney Princesses crossover, due to the statement in the final episode of Sofia the First that Neverland exists in the same dimension as Sofia and all of the Disney Princesses except for Pocahontas and Tiana. At any rate, the song the others sing is from Peter Pan 2: Return to Neverland, which I'm thinking should be fine since this _is_ a Peter Pan fic. The lyrics were altered a little to fit this story and obviously Mary's commentary is not part of the song. XD


	5. Chapter 4

"What are we going to do, Peter?" Sofia heard the worried voice of a girl about her own age ask.

"To think that Hook would kidnap Mary while she was eating lunch with the mermaids!" A boy said incredulously, "I didn't think he even knew that you three were here!"

"Well, he does spend a lot of time spying on us." Came the voice of a younger boy.

"Excuse me." Sofia said as she pushed aside a fern and stepped into the clearing. Before her was a rather strange group. Five boys, dressed as animals, a girl roughly her own age wearing some kind of animal hood, a small boy also wearing a hood, and another boy, probably two years older than her or so, clad head-to-toe in green. There were also a couple of tiny fairies floating about.

"Who are you?" The oldest boy asked in confusion.

"I'm Sofia." Sofia said with a smile and a small wave, "Can you tell me where I am?"

"You don't know?" The other girl asked, "You're in Neverland!"

"Neverland?" Sofia repeated in confusion, "What's that?"

The boy in green put his fingers to his chin in thought, "Judging from your clothes, you must be from this side of the portal... So let's just say for now that it's an island."

"Oh. Okay." Sofia replied in confusion.

"What are you doing here anyway?" The boy asked, "I don't think I've ever seen anybody wind up here on accident."

"Oh!" Sofia replied, realizing that they were probably just as confused as she was, "Well you see, I'm the Storykeeper, and I was just given a new story by the Secret Library, but before I could read it, I suddenly appeared here."

"Any idea what caused that?" He asked her.

"Well, just one." Sofia admitted, "Usually when something like this happens, it's because another princess needs my help."

"You're a princess?!" Said two identical boys who must've been twins.

"I think the gown and the tiara made that obvious." The girl with the hood replied with amusement.

"Hm, well I don't know who that could be..." The boy in green admitted, "I mean, there is Tiger Lily, but as far as I know, she's not in any trouble right now."

"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to find out who I was sent to help." Sofia replied confidently, "But before that, did you guys say that somebody was kidnapped?"

"Yes." The other girl replied, "Our friend Mary was kidnapped by a pirate captain who roams around here. He's demanded that Peter and I—Oh! How rude! I just realised that we haven't introduced ourselves! I'm Jane, and this is my brother Danny. And these are our friends, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, Slightly, Nibs, the twins, Cubby, and Toodles." She gestured to each respective boy, "Anyway, Captain Hook has demanded that Peter and I come to his ship alone to get Mary back. It's obviously a trap, which is why we were trying to come up with a plan."

"Then let me help you." Sofia replied, "In addition to being the Storykeeper, I'm also the Protector of the Ever-Realm."

Peter whistled in impressment, "All that, plus a princess? You must be really busy." Sofia giggled in response.

"What's a Protector?" Jane asked.

"It's someone whose job is to protect the world from people like Hook, help people with their problems, and make wrongs right." Peter explained.

"Oh, that would be most helpful!" Jane agreed, "But how would you help us when we have to go alone?"

"Hm..." Sofia said thoughtfully, "I have an idea. I can use my amulet to transform into different things. I've turned into a fairy before. Maybe I can transform into a pixie like your friends there and fly ahead of you to sneak aboard!"

"That sounds like a great plan!" Peter agreed.

"Will you be all right though?" Jane worried.

"Probably." Sofia said, "How dangerous is this Captain Hook?"

"Oh not that dangerous, really." Jane replied nonchalantly, "I mean, he tries to be, but he's really just a nuisance."

"Oh, then I'll be fine." Sofia said with a nod, "I've taken on way worse than him from the sound of it."

"If you're a Protector, I don't doubt it." Peter said with a nod, "Come on, we'll show you his ship."

星

Meanwhile, Mary found herself standing on the plank of Hook's ship, her wrists bound behind her back.

"You really are a strange one, my dear." Hook remarked with interest, "Drawn to the sea, and yet you cannot swim."

"I've just never had the opportunity to learn." Mary said with annoyance before smirking, "But at least I'm not a pirate who spends more time running from sea creatures than eating them."

"Ugh." Hook groaned as he ran his hand down his face, "Clearly, you have been listening to Peter Pan and his tall tales."

"Actually, Jane. And I doubt they're all that tall." Mary remarked.

On the nearby shore, Peter peeked out from among the foliage at the edge of the forest. "Okay, there's the ship. Ready Princess?"

"Ready!" Sofia said with a nod before delicately touching her amulet, "I wish to be a pixie." Immediately the young girl shrunk down to the size of a pixie, her dress changing to look like it was made of autumn leaves.

"Oh wow. You're an animal fairy." A dark-haired pixie in a yellow dress said, "I didn't expect that."

"An animal fairy?" Sofia asked.

"Every pixie has a special talent. It defines who they are." Tinkerbell explained, "I'm a Tinker Fairy, Rosetta is a Garden Fairy, Iridessa is a Light Fairy, Silvermist is a Water Fairy, Vidia is a Fast-Flying Fairy, and Fawn is an Animal Fairy, just like you,"

"Oh." Sofia replied, "I guess that's because I can already talk to animals." She flapped her wings, only to find that she was unable to get airborne, "Um... how do I fly?"

"Oh, you need pixie dust for that." Silvermist explained.

"And if you don't like your talent, I can always use my Pixie Dust Alchemy to change it." A unique looking pixie chimed in as she flew over to Sofia with a small pouch.

"This is Zarina, the one and only Pixie Dust Alchemist of Pixie Hollow." Tinkerbell explained as Zarina dumped the pouch of dust on Sofia. "She's really classed as a Dust Keeper Fairy, so we called her in to help out, and to bring you some pixie dust."

"What does it matter what her talent is?" Vidia asked Zarina in annoyance, "She only turned into a pixie so she could sneak onto Hook's ship."

"I guess that's a good point." Zarina said with a nod before looking back at Sofia, "At any rate, Sofia, I'll be coming along with you. I've got an old score to settle with Hook. While you help Peter and Jane keep the Pirates busy, I'll use my rapier to cut Mary free."

"Great!" Sofia said with a nod before flying off with Zarina.

A few minutes later, Hook was finding his patience being worn thin by the rather unfrightened Mary and was nearly ready to just push her off the plank when a voice called out, "Leave her alone, Hook!"

The pirate captain looked over as Peter and Jane flew over to the ship and landed on the deck, "Ah, Jane, Peter Pan, how good of you to come. Now then, if you want to save your friend, I suggest that you both surrender. Otherwise, I'll force her off the plank, and wouldn't you know it? She can't swim." Hook gestured with his sword, forcing Mary to take a few steps back, "Oh, and oh yes. I do believe there is an octopus down there."

Suddenly a cord lashed out and snatched a sword from one of Hook's men. "I won't let that happen, Hook!" Sofia declared as she caught the sword in her hand.

"Oh look Captain. It's a little princess!" Smee said in delight.

"I'm not just a princess, I'm a Protector!" Sofia declared.

"What?!" Hook exclaimed before glaring at Peter and Jane, "Didn't I say for you to come _alone?"_

"We did." Peter remarked with a grin.

"Sofia came here before us." Jane added.

"Why you—! You...!" Hook's face turned red, and he turned to Mary, "That's it! She's going off the plank! Huh?!" To his surprise, Mary was already standing on the end of the plank as it was.

"I think you've misunderstood me, Captain. I may not know how to swim, but I'm not afraid of the water!" She winked at Peter and Jane before jumping off the board into the water below.

"What is she doing?!" Jane cried in alarm.

"I don't know, but let's just trust her and take care of these guys." Peter said.

Mary opened her eyes as her descent beneath the surface slowed to a stop. Although she had hidden it, Zarina had succeeded in cutting the ropes that bound her wrists, but now her legs felt strange... her turquoise eyes widened as she realized that she no longer had legs, but a tail!

"Oh, it's only a mermaid." A voice said, and Mary turned to see an octopus poking his head out of his cave to look at her.

"...It would seem so..." She managed, "Sorry for dropping in unannounced. What's your name?"

"My friends call me Pip-Pop." The octopus said as he came out of his cave.

"Hello Pip-Pop. I'm Mary."

"That's not what your necklace says."

"What?" Mary looked down at her necklace, her eyes widening as she saw that the name "Rosemary" had appeared etched on the surface. She looked at in confusion. "This wasn't here before..."

"It's probably engraved with color of sea pearl." Pip-Pop told her.

"Color of Sea Pearl?"

"It's a special material found only in the mermaid kingdom of Pearlopolis." He informed her, "The engravings only appear when moistened by sea water."

She gasped and quickly opened the locket, taking in the now visible, engraved portrait of herself as baby, in the arms of a mermaid who resembled her, with a human man by their side. "This must be... me... with my parents..." She closed the locket and clutched it tightly, "Rosemary... my real name is Rosemary..." She smiled as tears drifted from her eyes, and then looked up at the ship above. "Pip-Pop, how would you like a nice, tasty codfish for a snack?"

"Do you mean that pirate captain?" He asked in elatement.

"You've got it. I'll bring you up in just a moment." She said while straightening her arms at her sides, "I may not know how to use this tail, but I do know how to use this water!"

"I hope Mary is all right!" Jane exclaimed as she fought back a pirate with a sword she had somehow gotten ahold of.

"First chance we get, somebody needs to go in after her!" Peter agreed.

Suddenly the sound of rushing water filled the air as Rosemary used her powers to push herself to the surface and lift herself level with the deck of the ship, causing all of those aboard to gape in shock. "I _told_ you I wasn't afraid of the water, Hook." She said with a cheeky grin as Zarina sprinkled her with pixie dust, allowing her to release her control of the water and float in the air instead. "Peter, Jane, Princess Sofia! Get out of the way! I'm going to bring a friend up, and he's rather large!" The three of them nodded, flying out of the way once they'd been showered with pixie dust by Tinkerbell and her friends and Rosemary looked down at the water. "This is going to be my first time lifting something so large, but here goes!" Focusing her power, the young lady managed to lift Pip-Pop out of the ocean and set him down on the deck, causing the pirates to all scream in fear. "Enjoy your snack, Pip-Pop!" Rosemary exclaimed as she flew away to join her friends.

* * *

Somebody asked about this, but they were a guest user, so I couldn't answer them directly like I usually do. First, Sofia was born with the ability to understand Tinkerbell and her friends. In this story, that is a power inherent to everybody from the Ever-Realm. The Lost Boys lack this ability because they are originally from the "real world", typically referred to as "The Mainland" in this story for the sake of simplicity (That's what it's called in the Tinkerbell movies). Also, no, Jake, Izzy, and pirate Cubby will not be appearing in this story because I don't know enough about them. Unlike Sofia the First, the characters of Jake and the Neverland Pirates break the fourth wall constantly. As an adult, I don't mind when that is done for humor purposes, but I find it annoying when characters are "asking" the audience for help. Don't get me wrong, the show is aimed at small children, so I'm not criticizing its usage of that, but it makes it difficult for an adult to enjoy. Sofia was enjoyable for a wider variety of ages because it didn't directly address the audience.

Marina appeared in this story only because I needed a mermaid from Neverland who was not a total airhead or prone to playing tricks on humans. For all I know, she is completely OOC.

Also, just a side note, Rosemary actually is somehow an aquatic name, but I forget exactly how. Oh, and Pip-Pop is the octopus from Return to Neverland. He is never given a name in that movie, but I chose his name based on the "pip-pop" sound that he makes when chasing Hook, which is a reference to the tick-tock of the alarm clock swallowed by Tick-Tock the Crocodile. Rosemary can speak to animals because this is an ability that all mermaids have. She has never known about her mermaid form before now because she has never been completely submerged. As she stated before, she never had the chance to even try to learn how to swim in London.


	6. Chapter 5

"That was amazing!" Jane exclaimed as she, Peter, Sofia, and Rosemary landed near Danny and the Lost Boys, "I had no idea that you could do that, Mary!"

"Fortunately, neither did Hook." The dark haired girl replied, "But please, call me Rosemary. It turns out that that's my real name."

"How did you find that out?" Peter asked.

I'll show you." Rosemary replied, taking off her necklace and walking over to a nearby tide pool. She submerged the pendant and the others watched in awe as her name appeared on the front of the locket. "And that's not all." She added before opening the locket, revealing the hidden portrait within.

"Are those your parents?" Jane gasped in amazement.

"Yes, I think so." Rosemary said with a nod, "Pip-Pop told me that my locket is inlaid with Color of Sea Pearl, and that the images are only visible when moistened by sea water. Color of Sea Pearl can only be found in the mermaid kingdom of Pearlopolis, so it's proof that I was born in this world, and not the other one."

"If that's the case, how did you come to be in our world?" Jane wondered as Rosemary refastened her locket.

"I'm afraid I haven't the slightest idea."

"Hey, Sofia..." Peter began, "You're the Storykeeper, right? Maybe that book that you brought with you has some answers."

"Oh! Good idea!" Sofia said with a nod. She took her book back from Cubby, who had been holding it for her, and sat down on a log to read as the other children sat down around her. She opened the book in her lap and began to read aloud.

"Once upon a time, two kingdoms existed side-by-side. The first was the island paradise of Sealestia, whose human inhabitants enjoyed all the bounties that the sea has to offer. The second was the underwater kingdom of Pearlopolis. The mermaids who lived there loved to decorate their city with the many colorful pearls that could be found there. Although the two kingdoms knew of one another, they did not interact, preferring to remain isolated in their different worlds.

That is until one day, the crown prince of Sealestia encountered the eldest princess of Pearlopolis. The prince and the princess instantly fell in love and were married. Although they kept their marriage a secret from their respective families, for nearly two years, they were happy, but that happiness was not to last.

The prince's uncle, who would rule Sealestia as regent until the prince came of age, and the princess' younger sister, who was jealous of her older sister's position as heir to the throne, came to learn of the secret marriage, and made an agreement to destroy both Prince Sealan and Princess Lily, so that they could claim their thrones for themselves. And so, one day, the prince's uncle attacked the prince in the secret grotto where he spent time with his wife, and blamed his death on Princess Lily. He told the people of Sealestia that Lily had bewitched Prince Sealan, in order to lure him to his death, and thus declared war on Pearlopolis. In accordance with their plan, Princess Lily's sister, Lunesta, convinced the people of Pearlopolis that Princess Lily was to blame for the war. In the absence of Lily's father, the king, who was away visiting another kingdom, Princess Lily was forced to flee from Pearlopolis.

Contrary to their beliefs, however, Prince Sealan's Uncle and Princess Lunesta were not the true heirs to their thrones after this, for during the time that they had been married, Lily had given birth to a daughter, whom she and Sealan had named Rosemary. Fearing for her child's safety, Lily swam to the waters of Never Land, the island of pirates and fairies, and entrusted Rosemary to the island's guardian, Peter Pan. Fearing that Rosemary would be discovered if she remained in any mermaid kingdom, Lily bade Peter to take her through the portal to the world beyond the Second Star to the Right, where she could grow up in safety, until the time came that she was able to return to claim both her thrones. Peter did as he was asked, and carried the infant princess to the other world, leaving her on the steps of a place with a sign that read 'Home for Girls'.

Nine years passed in the other world. The Sisters who ran the Home were frightened by Rosemary's strange appeance and the powers that she inherited from her mother. Thinking her to be a witch's child, they forbade her from using her powers, ordered her to conceal her hair, and confined her to the tower attic of the orphanage, but they could not keep her hidden forever. It came to pass that war fell upon that world, and the government declared that all children should be sent to the countryside for their safety, including orphans, and so when Rosemary's turn came, there was nothing that they could do except to send her away, to a place where they could not confine her.

Before they were separated, Rosemary's mother had given her daughter a locket containing a secret portrait of their family, but the Sisters, feeling that Rosemary was to young to take care of the necklace, put it away for when she was older. However, some of the other girls in the Home managed to pilfer the locket, and in a quarrel that followed shortly after, it came to be broken. Since Rosemary had been a baby when this happened, she was simply never told, but her locket was not gone forever.

It often happens that things which are broken or lost in that world find their way to Never Land, and such was the case with the locket. The locket was found by an extraordinarily talented Tinker Fairy named Tinker Bell, who managed to repair it, and then journeyed to the other world to return it to its owner during the changing of the seasons, as was her job. When Tinker Bell delivered the locket to Rosemary, who had just learned of Never Land from her new friend Jane, a friend of Peter Pan's, the young princess decided to journey through the portal in order to find out where she belonged.

But time passes much more quickly in the Ever-Realm than in the other world. Although her grandfather still rules the city of Pearlopolis, her great-uncle rules Sealestia with Calysta, an evil sorceress and niece to Shuriki of the Northern Isles by his side. The people of Sealestia suffer, and both kingdoms live in fear that the other will attack. Gaining the acceptance of both her peoples and overthrowing her uncle and Calysta will be no easy task."

The others all stared with wide eyes, and then Rosemary looked at Peter.

"How could you forget about this?" She deadpanned.

"I didn't forget exactly." Peter said with slight embarrassment, "But like the book said, time passes faster here, and it's hard to keep track of how many years have actually passed on Never Land. Everything and everyone looks the same all year round." Rosemary sighed in frustration.

"What are you going to do, Rosemary?" Jane asked as she stood back up.

"I don't know what I should do." Rosemary admitted, rubbing her arms in uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" Sofia asked as she set the book down and stood up to walk over to the other girl, "You have to go back Pearlopolis and Sealestia to claim your throne."

"But Sofia, they killed my father and chased my mother away!" Rosemary exclaimed fearfully, "My mother sent me to the other world because none of my people would accept me. Princess or not, what makes you think they'll accept me now?"

"But you heard what the book said." Sofia pointed out, "The people of Sealestia are suffering, and what do you think will happen to Pearlopolis if your aunt takes the throne? You're the one who can make things right for both kingdoms." When Rosemary looked away uncertainly, Sofia placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know that you'll always be royal, but what do those words really mean?" She sang, "When you're a prince or a princess? When you're a king or a queen? You say that you have lost your family..." She continued as Rosemary turned toward her and Sofia gently clasped the other girl's locket, "...But your family is bigger than this. It includes everyone in your kingdoms. Every boy, girl, mister, and miss. You have to take a stand! A stand for one and all! Even if you're the one who takes the fall..." Sofia walked toward the shore, "Being royal—means being loyal—to those who count on us." She turned back to Rosemary, "For your kingdoms, you must fight." She took Rosemary's hands in her own, "So in you they'll place their trust. For one and all—you must stand tall. For one... and all..."

Rosemary took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "You're right, Sofia. But where should I even begin?"

"There's something important that I learned about a year ago." Sofia told her with a smile, "You might be the one, but you're not the _only_ one. I'll help you. That's my job as a Protector and Story Keeper, and I know of others who will help too. The first thing we need to do is to leave Never Land and go back to my home in Enchancia."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Rosemary asked, "I mean, what are we going to do, swim there? I don't even know how to use my tail."

Sofia laughed nervously, "Well swimming there actually _would_ be an option, but, I can think of much faster ways." The young princess flicked her wrist, causing the cord of her Enchantlet to pop out and form a circle. "Hey Christa, are you there?"

"Sofia!" Exclaimed the dark-skinned fairy who appeared within the circle, "How you doing Princess?"

"I'm great, but, I'm a little stuck at the moment." Sofia replied, "Could you please bring Skye and come meet me on the beach in Never Land?"

"The Island of Pirates and Fairies?" Christa asked in confusion, "What are you doing way out there?"

"It's a long story, I'll tell you when you get here." Sofia replied.

"Well all right. I'll grab Skye and be down there in a jiffy, Princess."

Sofia nodded and ended the communication. "That was Christa. She's the one who taught me how to be a Protector. And Skye is my friend from the Mystic Isles. He's a flying unicorn. He can give us a ride back to my kingdom."

"What are the Mystic Isles?" Rosemary asked.

"Oh!" Sofia replied, remembering that that wasn't common knowledge, "They're the place that all magic comes from. Your mermaid ancestors originally came from there as well, from the Isle of Mermaids to be exact. Anyway, normally Skye only helps me with Protector Missions that take place in the Mystic Isles, but my flying horse, Minimus, who helps me with missions here in the Ever-Realm, is back at the stable in my castle. Skye can get here faster than he can."

"Such simplistic terms." Rosemary said in amusement, "In the other world, a flying horse is called a pegasus. I'm not sure if there's a special name for a flying unicorn though."

Sofia nodded, "Well, now all we have to do is wait."

* * *

Took me a little longer than I would've liked to finish this chapter. I just kept running into roadblocks. The song Sofia was singing is "For One and All" from the final episode of her own series.


	7. Chapter 6

It wasn't too long before Sofia's former mentor, Chrysta the Fairy, arrived in Never Land, accompanied by Sofia's flying unicorn friend, Skye.

"Here we are, Sofia!" Chrysta said as she landed on the beach with Skye. "So what's up?"

"First let me introduce you." Sofia said cheerfully, "Rosemary, this is Chrysta. She's the one who trained me to be a Protector. And this is Skye. He helps me on some of my missions. Chrysta, Skye, this is Princess Rosemary, the rightful heir to the throne of the kingdoms of Sealestia and Pearlopolis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Rosemary said as she curtsied politely.

"Nice to meet you too, Princess!" Chrysta replied.

"The honor is all mine, milady." Skye said with a bow, and Rosemary giggled before turning to the others.

"Oh, these are my friends, Jane, Danny, Peter Pan, and the Lost Boys." She said while gesturing to each of them.

"Nice to meet all of you!" Chrysta said before looking at Sofia, "So Sofia, you said that this girl is the 'rightful' heir to those kingdoms? I'm assuming there's more to it than just that."

"Oh, right." Sofia said with a nod, "It's kind of a long story, so I'll explain on the way. First, we need to go back to my castle in Enchancia. Are you ready, Rosemary?"

"Yes, but... Sofia, I must admit that I don't know the first thing about riding a horse, let alone a flying unicorn." Rosemary said awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it." Sofia said with a smile, "Just hang onto me and you'll be fine."

"Do you want us to come with you, Rosemary?" Jane asked.

"Best if you don't Jane." Rosemary replied with a wry smile, "Time passes much more quickly in this world. It won't affect you as long as you stay here in Never Land, but, well... you can't very well go back to your parents being all that much older than you are now."

"Oh, yeah, I guess that's right." Jane said with an awkward smile before holding her hand out to Rosemary, "I wish you luck then."

"Thank you, Jane." Rosemary said as she shook her friend's hand. "Thank you, all of you, for everything. Goodbye!" With Peter's help, she managed to climb onto Skye's back behind Sofia and waved to her new friends as the unicorn began to fly away.

星

"Here we are!" Sofia said as Skye landed outside of her family's summer palace. "Let's head inside. First I'll introduce you to my family, and then we can get to work on finding a way to save your kingdoms."

"Okay." Rosemary replied as she followed Sofia inside with Christa.

"Sofia, there you are!" Queen Miranda said with relief, "I was wondering where you disappeared to."

"Sorry Mom." Sofia apologized, "I wasn't expecting to leave."

"Well you came back at a good time." Sofia's sister Amber replied. "We're trying to decide where to go for our summer trip."

"About that..." Sofia said, "I have somebody I need to introduce you guys to. This is Rosemary, the rightful heir to the kingdoms of Sealestia and Pearlopolis."

"Sealestia? I've heard of it, but I've never heard of Pearlopolis before." Sofia's father, King Roland remarked.

"That's because it's a mermaid kingdom." Sofia replied.

"You're the princess of a mermaid _and_ a human kingdom?" Amber asked Rosemary.

"Um, sort of... I guess?" Rosemary said uncertainly, "I'm not exactly sure how this works, but... my father was the crown prince of Sealestia and my mother was heir to the throne of Pearlopolis, so I'm half-mermaid."

"Brilliant!" Sofia and Amber's brother James exclaimed with interest.

"Hold on Sofia." Miranda interrupted, "What did you mean by 'rightful heir'?"

"Well... that's kind of the thing..." Sofia said, "Rosemary's great-uncle conspired with her aunt to kill her father and chase her mother away so that they could both take the thrones of their respective kingdoms, but neither of them knew about Rosemary."

"Talk about _Romeo and Juliet_ meets _Hamlet_ meets... I don't know. _The Oddessy_ perhaps?" Rosemary said in exasperation.

"What?" Sofia asked in confusion.

"Nothing." Rosemary said with a shake of her head, "Just stories from the other world."

"So... let me guess." Amber began, "As a Protector, you need to go Rosemary's kingdoms and set things right."

"Well... yes." Sofia replied bluntly, "But I promised that I wouldn't do something like this again without telling you guys first."

"'Again'?" Rosemary questioned.

"It's a long story." Sofia replied. "Besides, I can't just show up in Sealestia unannounced. Can you guys help me with this one? First we need to find a way to prove that Rosemary is the rightful heir."

"Yes, because I don't believe that a magic storybook and a single portrait are quite going to cover it." Rosemary added.

"Hm..." Amber said thoughtfully, "What about the book on magical objects in the library that told us about the Emerald Key? That might have something."

"Great idea!" Sofia exclaimed. "I'll go get it."

"I'll go with you!" Amber exclaimed as she followed Sofia, along with Chrysta.

"Roly and I will start making preparations for the trip." Miranda said before looking at the castle steward, "Bailywick, would you get Rosemary settled into a room in the meantime?"

"Right away, your majesty." Bailywick said with a bow before turning to Rosemary, "Please follow me, your highness."

"All right." Rosemary replied as she followed Bailywick.

星

A while later, Amber came into Rosemary's room with a book. "Rosemary! I brought just the thing to help you learn all about being a princess! _1,001 Tiaras: The Ultimate Guide to Being a Classic Princess."_ The golden-haired girl stopped when she noticed Rosemary sitting in the window seat of the room, gazing out the window with uncertainty, her hair pulled up in a kerchief once again. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can really do this, Princess Amber." Rosemary admitted, "Even if I am the rightful heir to the throne, what if my people don't want me?"

"Why wouldn't they want you?" Amber asked in confusion.

"In the world I grew up in, everyone was afraid of me." Rosemary admitted. "No one in that world has hair like mine or can control water. At the orphanage, they made me hide my hair and tried to limit my contact with the outside world, and even the other girls who lived there... I didn't even live in the dormitory with everyone else. I had to live in the attic at the top of the tower that was in the corner of the orphanage."

"Oh..." Amber said quietly before walking forward, "You know, you remind me a little bit of another princess."

"I do?" Rosemary asked in confusion.

"Mm-hm." Amber said with a nod, "Her name is Rapunzel. She was born with flowing golden hair, but when she was a baby, a witch kidnapped her in order to keep the magical power of Rapunzel's hair all to herself. She made Rapunzel believe that she was her daughter, and kept her hidden inside a tower for nearly eighteen years. Rapunzel wanted to see the outside world, but she was afraid, because the witch had told her that the world was a dangerous place. But then, right before her eighteenth birthday, a thief found the tower by accident. Rapunzel made a deal with him to help her leave, just for a couple of days, and then come back. It was because she left the tower that Rapunzel learned that she was the princess of Corona and found the courage to stand up to the witch and leave the tower for good."

"That's a lovely tale, Amber, but... She was her kingdom's only princess, right? So they naturally wanted her back. Mine don't even know that I exist..."

"The point isn't whether Rapunzel's people knew about her or not." Amber said gently, "The point is that all of it happened because she found the courage to go after what she wanted. You can do the same thing that she did." When Rosemary sighed uncertainly, Amber smiled gently at her and began to sing, "Locked inside a tower. Kept behind a wall. Sheltered from a world you'd barely known. That's the way to they'd treat you, and what's worst of all: they would blame just you and you alone." She took Rosemary's hands in her own, "There's much more inside of you than anyone can see." She pulled Mary to her feet gently. "And now the choice is yours. Life waits beyond the doors." She picked up a skirt she had brought in and wrapped it around Rosemary's waist to turn her dress into a gown. "So step on through, the time has come, and only you can set yourself free!" Amber sang as she opened the doors to Rosemary's room and pulled her by the hands into the hallway. "No one else can tell you what to do, or who to be. No one gets to say if you will stay or go." The blonde princess smiled as she led Rosemary to a fountain in the garden. "So use the gifts your given. Make the world your own. Look inside your heart and find the key." She watched in awe as Rosemary manipulated the water to increase the fountain's beauty. "And set yourself free!" Amber brought Rosemary to her own bedroom, where her telescope was. "Bound up by your worries. Trapped by your mistakes. Forced to play a role you never chose." She placed a book on Rosemary's head and watched as she nervously walked while balancing it, "Why not test your limits? You've got what it takes." Amber applauded before removing the book and led Rosemary to her telescope, gesturing for her to use it to view the horizon, "So let it out and follow where it goes." She placed a hand on Rosemary's shoulder, "No more letting someone else define you to a 'T'. You know that you are strong. You've known it all along." Amber pulled Rosemary over to her full-length mirror. "So seize the day, let down your hair." At this, Amber yanked off the kerchief to free Rosemary's midnight blue curls before pulling her over to a shelf. "You'll find a way to set yourself free..." Amber looked through the tiaras on the shelf before nodding when Rosemary pointed to one. "Now it's up to you on what you'll do and who you'll be." She placed the tiara on Rosemary's head. "You get to decide how far and wide you'll go." Amber led Rosemary outside onto a balcony, "So look to the horizon! Open up your wings! Fly away to find your destiny! And set yourself free!"

Rosemary smiled at the other girl, now feeling encouraged. "Thank you, Amber."

"You're welcome." Amber said with a smile.

"There you guys are!" Sofia exclaimed as she entered the room with Chrysta following, "I think I finally found what we need! Look here!" She set the book on Amber's bed and opened it to a page that she had bookmarked, "The Circlet of Sealestia. According to the book, it changes shape depending on who the rightful heir to the throne is, and the heir is the only person that it will fit. Apparently, it was given to the royal family by the mermaids of Pearlopolis a long time ago, and they have something similar." She turned a few pages to find the right item. "Here it is! The Pearl Piece of Pearlopolis. It's a stretchy comb made out of pearls. The string is magic, and will only stretch when held by rightful heir, so only the rightful heir can wear it."

"Hm, so I guess we'll need to go to both kingdoms to find them." Amber said thoughtfully.

"But how are we going to visit Pearlopolis?" Rosemary asked with concern, "Sofia, we have your family's help to enter Sealestia, but the mermaids in Pearlopolis won't be too keen to welcome humans, and I can't go there myself. I have to avoid being seen by my aunt and great-uncle until I have the Circlet and Pearl Piece."

"Oh, good point." Sofia said thoughtfully, "Oh! I know! We can ask the mermaids of Merroway Cove for help! Queen Emmaline might have an idea."

"Good thinking Sofia." Chrysta agreed.

"Chrysta, can you go back to the Mystic Isles and ask Nerissa to meet us in Merroway Cove? I might need her help for this one since it involves mermaids and humans." Sofia replied.

"You got it, Princess. I'll head back right now!" Chrysta exclaimed while taking to the air and flying out the open balcony.

* * *

Rosemary bears some similarities to Rapunzel, which may be because Rapunzel is my favorite Disney Princess. She's a character that I can really identify with.


End file.
